Aligning Graduate Capabilities and Unit Learning Outcomes
The initial process for aligning the graduate capabilities with the unit learning outcomes will involve consideration of different factors depending on the School, discipline and course the unit is part of.
It is important to only tick the relevant graduate capabilities, in most cases only a few capabilities will align with each unit learning outcome. Achievement of the graduate capabilities should be spread across a course. It is not expected that one unit will cover all, or even most of the graduate capabilities.
Aligning the unit learning outcomes to the graduate capabilities should be considered part of an ongoing process, to be revisited and reimagined when units and courses are reviewed. The following points provide overall guidance for how the initial task of aligning the unit learning outcomes to the graduate capabilities could be approached.
Past alignment with graduate attributes
It may be useful to initially consider what Graduate Attributes have been mapped to the unit learning outcome in the past. This consideration should then be related to the new graduate capabilities.
- What graduate attributes have been aligned with the learning outcome in the past?
- Is previous alignment still appropriate and how does it relate to the new graduate capabilities?
Unit learning outcomes and assessment
When aligning the graduate capabilities and unit learning outcomes, it is also useful to consider how the unit learning outcome, and therefore the graduate capability, is assessed. Consider the relationship between the assessment tasks aligned to the learning outcome and the graduate capability.
- How is the learning outcome assessed and how does the assessment align with the graduate capability?
Focus on the unit learning outcome and how it is worded
Consider the wording of the learning outcome and how it relates to the graduate capability. Consider the verb and the content of the learning outcome. Learning outcomes that “Define” or “Outline” do not generally reflect alignment with critical thinking or problem-solving.
- How does the wording of the learning outcome support alignment with the graduate capability being chosen?